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Genesis
- Thread starter jnevi9nr
- Start date
I actually think Genesis held truer to their origins than most people give them credit for. This includes my uncle, a musician who holds Gabriel Genesis in higher esteem than any other band. I tried explaining my position, but he didn't believe me. Even their most successful studio effort with Collins singing lead (Invisible Touch) has a ton of extended, abstract songs with multiple parts, catchy progressive hooks, and complex meters.
'cuz Genesis sucks, duh.
j/k.
I think the reason you don't see the rabid fanboy adulation for Genesis they way you do for Yes or Rush is because Genesis never possessed the kind of instrumental prowess that the musicians in Yes and Rush (arguably) do, and it is those sort of "athletic" displays that generate the most buzz on instrument-specific internet forums. And, in terms of here on TalkBass especially, even bassist who aren't fans of prog will generally acknowledge that Chris Squire and Geddy Lee are two of the more talented bass players to have come around in the rock world...whereas no one would ever mistake Mike Rutherford for anything other than an adequately talented musician.
I think because they embraced 'Pop' music as opposed to 'Prog' music! They just weren't 'Prog' enough. Still, they sold millions of records so that can't be seen as a failure as a band! No killer bassist. Great vocalist (at least IMO) & drummer!
Turn it On Again was the 1st radio tune I fell completely in love with. I was 10 years old. The way they bridged prog & pop with Phil at the helm was fantastic, well, to me. Phil Collins, along with Eddie VanHalen, were my biggest musical influences as a teenager.
+1 Loved the early stuff, and like the Gabriel solo work even more (that live 'Secret World' CD/DVD is just mind blowing).
Later Genesis... YUCK!
+1 to Hoover's post 7 also....
I like Genesis' earlier stuff, really up to And Then There Were Three. But even still, as a bass player, Genesis didn't have a monster bass player like Rush or Yes did. Don't get me wrong, Mike Rutherford is good, but Geddy and Chris gets it done in a way that I like more.
I liked alot of their stuff with Phil Collins (love Home By The Sea...neat little bassline on that one) but it did get too Disney for me. Poppy, slow, ballady stuff. Something like you would hear on the Lion King soundtrack. Phil Collins solo stuff is crap IMO. Stop faxing divorce notifications to your soon to be ex wives Phil and get behind the drums!
I loved Genesis with Phil singing and thought it was osme of their best work up unitil "Then There Were Three"
I wouldn't sell any of the members short on musicianship. The whole idea with Genesis was to paint a musical picture. They played with restraint and taste. Bombastic playing took a backseat. That is also a huge part of great musicianship.
I wouldn't sell any of the members short on musicianship. The whole idea with Genesis was to paint a musical picture. They played with restraint and taste. Bombastic playing took a backseat. That is also a huge part of great musicianship.
I too like their earlier Proggier stuff. The vibe Gabriel gave them as their vocalist / frontman was unlike any other before or since. He really brought out the visual aspect of their music. Sure, they really hit the big time with Collins, but I have always liked the Gabriel era better.
I dunno, Mike has some really interesting lines around the yellow album and Abacab- simple, but with enough strange twists to keep me interested. To me, they did a really good job of staying compelling for a few albums after Gabriel left, but once Phil became the darling of Middle of The Road radio, it all went to crap.
Wind & Wuthering, Trick Of The Tail and Seconds Out are all Phil era pre pop classics. There's some pretty impressive bass work happening on Seconds Out. It's underneath not on top. You have to listen.
Gabriel era Genesis was awesome and unique. Collins' drumming during that period and a few albums beyond was so musical. His speed was only part of it. The way he tuned his drums and his phenomenal use of complex rhythms really drove that band. His bass drum foot was pretty formidable also.
Genesis was the reason that I became a musician. Recently, I've rediscovered my love for their 1970's work, including the first few albums with Phil at the front.
I think the reason people don't like Genesis is because most people have never heard anything they did before Abacab. And I agree with previous posters that Mike Rutherford actually played some killer bass on songs like "Cinema Show" and "In the Cage", you just have to really listen to hear it.
I think the reason people don't like Genesis is because most people have never heard anything they did before Abacab. And I agree with previous posters that Mike Rutherford actually played some killer bass on songs like "Cinema Show" and "In the Cage", you just have to really listen to hear it.
Genesis was one of the first bands I ever really got into. The other is Pink Floyd, and I still love both. But yes, There are some fantastic bits of bass on some songs (Fountain of Salmacis has my favourite Rutherford playing).
